Bonded Bitesize – Your Midweek Roundup

TikTok partners with Amazon for in-app shopping

TikTok is integrating Amazon shopping into its platform, enabling users to make purchases directly within the app. This move could be transformative for advertisers by offering seamless access to TikTok’s vast, engaged user base, potentially increasing conversion rates by streamlining the purchase process. Amazon product recommendations will now appear in TikTok’s ‘For You’ feeds, and users can complete purchases in-app by linking their TikTok and Amazon accounts, with real-time pricing and delivery details provided. This integration reflects Amazon’s broader strategy of expanding its presence across social media, similar to its partnerships with Pinterest, Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat. However, there’s uncertainty about how TikTok users will respond to this increased commercialisation and its impact on user experience and sales.

Google local services ads get automated

Google has updated its Local Services Ads (LSA) with two key features: automated selection of profile photos for ads and improved budget controls. The photo feature automatically selects images from an advertiser’s LSA profile based on their potential to boost engagement, potentially enhancing ad performance. Advertisers are advised to upload 3 to 5 high-quality, relevant images. Additionally, the budget control update introduces a monthly maximum ad spend limit, allowing marketers to better manage their spending and avoid budget overruns. This feature includes automatic campaign stoppage when budgets are reached, monthly resets, and flexible budget management. These updates reflect Google’s broader move towards automating LSA features, including the use of machine learning for lead processing.

YouTube is testing a sleep timer on its Premium tier

YouTube is testing a sleep timer feature for its Premium users, allowing videos to pause automatically after a set time, which is useful for those who fall asleep to long content like podcasts or white noise. The timer can be set for various intervals, from 10 minutes to the video’s end, and can be extended if playback pauses. Accessible via desktop or mobile settings, this feature is available until September 2, with the hope it becomes permanent and extends to free users. YouTube’s previous experiments include an AI assistant and a lock screen feature, though it has lagged behind competitors like Spotify and TikTok in offering sleep-related tools.

LinkedIn invites brands to sponsor user-generated newsletters

LinkedIn is now allowing brands to sponsor newsletters created by users or published on company pages through single image ads in Campaign Manager. This move follows LinkedIn’s launch of sponsored newsletters for company pages and aims to help brands extend the reach of their long-form, subscription-based content. With over 184,000 newsletters on the platform and a 47% increase in engagement since 2023, LinkedIn sees this as an opportunity for brands to gain more exposure. Brands can promote their own or others’ newsletter articles, with approval required from the original author for third-party content. LinkedIn reports significant success with sponsored newsletters, including increased subscriber counts and engagement.

TikTok makes it easier for film, TV brands to reach fans

TikTok’s latest strategy to engage the entertainment industry is through TikTok Spotlight, a promotional tool aimed at helping brands connect with fan communities and promote movies, TV shows, and franchises. Spotlight highlights popular TikToks and links them to a dedicated landing page with additional content about the title, including synopses, cast information, and related creator content. This campaign allows studios to immerse themselves in fan communities, utilise a detailed analytics dashboard, and engage with creators through gamified actions. For instance, Warner Bros. used Spotlight to promote Dune 2, driving significant traffic to the film’s ticketing hub and generating extensive fan-created content.

Reddit to test AI-powered search result pages

Reddit plans to introduce AI-generated summaries at the top of search results to enhance content discovery and exploration. This feature, expected to roll out later this year, will use both in-house and third-party technology. Reddit’s CEO, Steve Huffman, discussed this development during the company’s earnings call, highlighting its potential to deepen user engagement and uncover new communities. This initiative follows Reddit’s recent partnerships with OpenAI and Google to integrate AI into its platform. Additionally, Reddit’s AI-driven language translation feature is expanding to new languages, contributing to its growth. For Q2, Reddit reported a significant increase in weekly active users and revenue, surpassing Wall Street expectations.

Google phases out Smart Campaigns in favour of Performance Max

Google is phasing out its Smart Campaigns and merging their features into Performance Max campaigns, reflecting a shift towards more AI-driven, cross-platform advertising. Performance Max uses AI to optimise ads across Google’s ecosystem, including Search, YouTube, and Display, and is designed to deliver customised results based on business goals. Existing Smart Campaigns will be automatically upgraded to Performance Max, though no specific deadline has been set. This transition aims to streamline ad management and enhance performance through advanced AI. Google has assured advertisers that this change will improve return on investment and will provide further details about the upgrade in the future.

Instagram is embracing the ‘photo dump’

Instagram is expanding its carousel feature to allow users to include up to 20 photos or videos in a single post, doubling the previous limit of 10. This update aligns with the trend of ‘photo dumps’, where users share multiple images or videos in one post instead of focusing on a single perfect photo. The change brings Instagram closer to TikTok’s carousel feature, which allows up to 35 photos per post. This move reflects Instagram’s shift away from its original single-photo focus and could be seen as both a way to embrace current user trends and as a potential overload for some users. The update follows Instagram’s recent decision to make views the primary metric for all content formats on the platform.

X is getting closer to launching its payment service

X is advancing towards its goal of becoming an ‘everything app’ by developing a payments system. App researcher Nima Owji discovered references to a new ‘Payments’ button and features like transactions, balance, and transfers. This aligns with Elon Musk’s vision for X, which includes allowing users to store money, make payments, and potentially access financial services. The company is also working on obtaining money transmitter licences, having recently secured approval in North Dakota, among other states. This move is part of X’s strategy to diversify its revenue streams beyond advertising, especially as it faces financial challenges and recent antitrust lawsuits related to advertiser boycotts.

Google gives new look for trending now section of Google Trends

Google Trends has introduced a revamped ‘Trending Now’ section with a new list view interface. This update allows users to see more trending queries at once and includes details such as the start time of the trend, search volume, trend breakdowns, and charts. Users can filter trends by country, timeframe, status, and relevance, and export data to CSV, clipboard, or RSS feed. The redesign aims to enhance usability for SEOs, content managers, and reporters by providing a clearer and more comprehensive view of trending topics.